INTRODUCTION
TOBRIGHTONCROSS - a straight line walk along the 450 northing

I have a long association with Brighton. As a young couple, in their
mid-20s, my parents came here for a weekend in late summer 1951 - and went
home with more than they bargained for. Marriage followed. Many years later,
I found a photograph of them sitting in deckchairs on the beach - probably
a few hours before or after the moment my life began. In the 1980s, I was
a regular visitor, drawn by the personal warmth and social excitement I
found in the home of friends - Rosy and Andrew. And for several years in
the 1990s, my partner and young son lived in North Laine. Now, I'm back,
because, I suppose, it seems the right place to be. Researching and writing
Brighton Cross has been my way of saying hello to an old friend.

Two years ago I wrote London Cross. My aim was to complete two straight
line walks across London, south to north and east to west, thus not only
walking aCROSS London, but walking a CROSS shape also. I completed the south-north
walk, but was unable to find an agent or publisher. Consequently, I never
got round to doing the east-west walk. Subsequently, I decided to make the
text of the south-north walk freely available on the internet (www.londoncross.co.uk). Before completing London
Cross, and before collecting scores of rejection letters, I had vaguely
dreamed of writing a series of Cross books - Dublin Cross, Ibiza Cross,
New York Cross . . . So, when I moved to Brighton, it seemed natural to
reprise the Cross idea - but just for fun, and with the intention of making
it available here on the website.

However, when I came to plan the walk, I realised - given the shape of
Brighton - I wouldn't be able to create a CROSS shape (a t-junction maybe!),
and that one east-west walk would be sufficient. I also realised - given
the lie of Brighton - any walk from east to west in a straight line would
end when I hit the sea. Since I wanted to walk through at least some of
Brighton's centre, but, at the same time, wished for a balance, with roughly
the same distance covered both east and west of the centre, I was fairly
constrained as to my route line. I decided on the 450 northing. Unfortunately,
this is not shown on the common Ordnance Survey Explorer map (two and half
inches to a mile) - only the 400 and 500 northings are shown. However, it
is marked on county street atlases (such as Philip's).

I do not pretend myself to have any knowledge of Brighton or its history,
I'm just someone who likes exploring (geographically and in libraries) and
who has a persistent need to write. All the information I've gathered for
Brighton Cross is thanks to many others who do know a lot about the city,
and who have generously shared their knowledge or memories online or in
books. I hope I've acknowledged this in the text wherever appropriate, either
with internet links or source book references. I would, though, like to
acknowledge three excellent general sources here:
'Encyclopaedia of Brighton' by Timothy Carder (East Sussex County Libraries,
1990)
'Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade' by Judy Middleton (Brighton and Hove
Libraries, various years)My Brighton and
Hove - which describes itself, justifiably, as 'a living history of
Brighton and Hove'.

I would encourage any reader wanting accurate facts or information about
Brighton to refer to these sources (and, under no circumstances, to rely
on Brighton Cross). The Brighton
History Centre, in Brighton Museum, has copies of the above books and
many more.

Brighton Cross is not meant to be any kind of walking guide. My aim was
simply to record a slice of Brighton, a random cross-section, at a particular
moment (or moments) in time, combining all kinds of information, whether
about local history and stories, architecture and planning, street names
and quirky notices, or companies and organisations. And it is not meant
to be read through from beginning to end, but to be dipped into, like Schott's
Miscellany perhaps or a Rough Guide. It consists of 34 short sections, and
these are indexed below. You can scroll through the book by clicking 'next'
on each page, or jump to any section by using the links at the side. I would really appreciate feedback, whether
it's to correct errors, to suggest additions, or to let me know what you
think.

1 - Happy valley, once
wooded, where land cost £10 an acre, but Bubble Cars can kill2 - Bagging trigpoints,
Wick (or Uicus) Bottoms and a spot of land reclassification3 - Roedean Gap, and all
about Roedean girls - what they are, and where they have it4 - From a club with prime
ministerial links to a school with a slimy reputation5 - A lovely war, amazing
grazing, a Piltdown mystery, and the shames of Whitehawk Way6 - Dunroamin, a causewayed
camp (and cannibals?), and Prince Regent at the races7 - Blue Light nights, a
two tone green pub with free barbie, plus a yellow art house8 - Brighton Park - for
a chemical spa, off-sync clocks, and a slider-friendly ice rink9 - Past a windmill hill,
a setting sun, Tarner's look-out, and into graffiti land10 - A modern mish-mash
in Morley Street; and an early Hindoostanee entrepreneur11 - Couchant lions, ten
bells, poisoned chocolates, and good news for the Astoria12 - From gents by angelic
hell to infinity, and from red blob records to drum's guitars13 - Too much to dream,
or perhaps of, in football scores, Rin Tin Tin, and the YMCA14 - Spring Gardens? No!
But a green Earth and Stars; and Seurat across the Channel15 - A bosom-shaped Noddy
car, a queen of dippers, and a love-sick army ladette16 - St Nicholas survives
despite the devil's work, as does a most immodest epitaph17 - A colourful Urban
story and the PV's Rizla offer, while C-side man goes digital18 - Magdalene's confession
time, Turner's palette, and Noble's sweet ode to love19 - A confusion of Montpeliers,
not to mention high urinals and a wondering chapel20 - Yummy cakes, Egyptian
fare, Bankers fish, Barracuda pizzas - and a Sanctuary21 - Patrick's Shelter,
RotoVision's Nudes, City Penguins - and a Regency treasure22 - Drinking freemasons
and coppers, department shoppers, plus a nice young man23 - From a blooming clock
to a cracking giant dome via an autobiographical snippet24 - Rum-a-Tum Tum, maybe,
at St John's, followed by a history, not grammar, lesson25 - Along the Avenues
for a nunnery inn or Hangover Square or quickfire gags26 - About a King's visits,
Queen Vic's view, a boy Vic's tips, and a grandson's find27 - From an invisible
plaque to Old Hooky via a snoopy actress and Neptune in code28 - From holy Saturdays
to pregnant models, via longboards and Neptune in fiction29 - Brunel's Hove; now
King Alfred's up for demolition while Gehry's towers are pending30 - An old ship goes froggy,
more aging freemasonry, and a sagging Sackville31 - Of cycling and lanes
(long and weird), of bowling (mixed), and a rainbow of huts32 - Warnings, prohibitions,
shifting shingle, the flight of Charles II, and lagoon life33 - From a fishy Kemble
to a capsized Sally Jane not via Millionaires' Row beach34 - A once busy gas works,
Animazoo and an animal siege, and a bare groyne ending